Man Accused Of Larceny

FORT LAUDERDALE — A man conducting his own sting operation was arrested Tuesday on charges of grand larceny and impersonating a police officer, police said.

James Harvey Durkee, 20, of the 500 block of Antioch Ave., Fort Lauderdale, was nabbed shortly after 3 a.m. when his operation backfired, police said.

Police said he approached a man near the beach and asked him whether he wanted to buy some LSD, a hallucinogenic drug. When the man agreed, Durkee allegedly pulled out a badge, told the man he was under arrest and said that the fine would be $150.

A security guard at a motel heard what was happening and alerted police, who arrested Durkee, police said.